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Two Smudde siblings. One blog. No apologies.

I Hate Airports

I’m going to be honest, I wrote this post this morning. I had planned to write it last night, but after twelve hours of airplanes and airports I didn’t have the energy. I got home, unpacked, and then went to bed.

Thankfully, I knew exactly what I was going to write about. We talked about it the few times you caught me on one of my layovers, Daniel. I want to talk about why I hate airports.

#1 – They’re way too big

No this doesn’t apply to every airport. The airport I flew out of on Monday had only two gates so it was very easy to navigate. I guess what I really hate is that, when you have a layover, it’s ALWAYS in some big, sprawling, metro airport and your next gate is THREE MILES AWAY.

This is even more annoying when you consider how much junk I usually have to carry on the airplane with me. Checking bags is expensive and, more often than not, not that necessary. I literally spent three days away from home this week. I could easily fit everything I needed in one of my duffel bags, saving me money, but dooming me to lug ten pounds of junk with me as I walked all the way to my next gate.

Come on, people. Why can’t airlines just keep all their gates within a reasonable distance? I literally flew Alaska there and back and still had to take the tram in the Seattle airport to get to my next gate.

This is also annoying when you have a really short layover. I learned the hard way, specifically after having to run through the Minneapolis airport to catch my connection to Wisconsin, that you always want a minimum of an hour to navigate to the next gate. Yeah, a shorter layover means a quicker arrival, but you will take years off your life with all the stress of having to navigate the airport. Especially if it’s crowded, which leads to my next complaint…

#2 – The people are rude

I’m not sure why this happens, but people become so RUDE when they step into an airport. It’s like they completely forget there are other people around them and they’re sole focus is being first. It’s literally like the Hunger Games and I’m not going to pretend I’m not immune. I also become rude when I step into an airport, but that’s because everyone else is rude. Rudeness begets rudeness, I suppose.

One thing that absolutely drives me up the wall is when people stop in the middle of a walk way to look at the flight announcement boards. I get why they do it, but they need to let me know when they’re about to do it and move to the side of the walkway. I don’t know how many times I’ve nearly been knocked off balance because someone abruptly stops to check their flight gate. Dude, use a blinker or something.

#3 – Getting on and off the airplane is chaos

As you may remember, airplanes aren’t that big so getting on and off them is a pain in the butt. What specifically makes it awful is how, again, people completely forget their manners and just LINGER IN THE AISLE. Put your stuff in the overhead compartment and SIT DOWN.

Same for getting off the plane. Be ready to grab you stuff and move when it’s your turn. On my way down to California this year, a woman stood in the aisle and waited for everyone ahead of her to get off the airplane and THEN STARTED PULLING HER BAGS NOW. I nearly screeched in frustration. I already had my bag in hand and was ready to motor. She could’ve done the same thing.

Those are my three biggest complaints about airports. I have plenty more, like the cost of airport food or the bathrooms at airports, but I’ve covered the three most irksome in my opinion.

Sorry for posting this late, Daniel. I’m definitely in need of a nap after yesterday.